Memory hub architecture having programmable lane widths

• US 8,775,764 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2011
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Jobs, Jeffrey R., Stenglein, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): BATAILLE, PIERRE MICHE
• Application Number:
  US13/208,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20110296077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 711/170, 711/154, 711/E12.001, 710/307, 710/22, 710/27, 710/52, 710/56
• US Class Current: 711/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1678 using bus width
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1684 using multiple buses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4018 with data-width conversion

Abstract

A processor-based system includes a processor coupled to a system controller through a processor bus. The system controller is used to couple at least one input device, at least one output device, and at least one data storage device to the processor. Also coupled to the processor bus is a memory hub controller coupled to a memory hub of at least one memory module having a plurality of memory devices coupled to the memory hub. The memory hub is coupled to the memory hub controller through a downstream bus and an upstream bus. The downstream bus has a width of M bits, and the upstream bus has a width of N bits. Although the sum of M and N is fixed, the individual values of M and N can be adjusted during the operation of the processor-based system to adjust the bandwidths of the downstream bus and the upstream bus.

Claims

1. A memory apparatus comprising:

a first bus configured to have a first width;

a second bus configured to have a second width concurrently with the first bus, wherein the first and second widths are variable, and wherein a sum of the first and second widths is constant;

a plurality of buffers configurable as an input buffer or an output buffer, wherein the first width of the first bus and second width of the second bus are adjusted by configuring at least some of the plurality of buffers as either input buffers of output buffers; and

a plurality of memory devices each configured to receive signals from a memory controller over the first bus and further configured to provide signals to the memory controller over the second bus.

2. The memory apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first width and the second width are manually configurable.

3. The memory apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bus comprises a downstream bus and the second bus comprises an upstream bus.

4. The memory apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a memory hub coupled to the first and second buses, and wherein at least one memory device is coupled to the memory hub.

5. The memory apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and the second width are dynamic.

6. The memory apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and the second width are based, at least in part, on the number of memory accesses issued to the memory apparatus.

7. The memory apparatus of claim 6, wherein the memory accesses issued to the memory comprises actual memory accesses issued to the memory or expected memory accesses to be issued to the memory.

8. The memory apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first width and the second width are dynamically changeable based, at least in part, on an actual traffic flow through the first bus and the second bus.

9. The memory apparatus of claim 8, wherein the actual traffic flow is determined by a controller coupled to the first and the second bus.

10. The memory apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first width and the second width are dynamically changeable based on anticipated traffic flow through at least one of the first bus or the second bus.

11. The memory apparatus of claim 10, wherein the anticipated traffic flow is determinable by a user.

12. The memory apparatus of claim 10, wherein the anticipated traffic flow is determined based, at least in part, on a type of hardware used in a system comprising the memory apparatus.

13. The memory apparatus of claim 10, wherein the anticipated traffic flow is determined based, at least in part, on software executed by a processor in a system comprising the memory apparatus.

14. A memory apparatus comprising:

a first bus configured to have a first width;

a second bus configured to have a second width, wherein the first and second widths are variable, and wherein a sum of the first and second widths is constant;

a plurality of buffers coupled to the first and second buses, each buffer from the plurality of buffers being configurable as an input buffer or an output buffer, and wherein the first and second widths are adjusted by configuring at least some of the plurality of buffers as either input buffers of output buffers; and

a plurality of memory devices each configured to receive signals over the first bus and further configured to provide signals over the second bus.

15. The memory apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first bus and the second bus each comprise a plurality of signal lines, each signal line configured to be selectively coupled to a respective buffer.

16. The memory apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least some of the plurality of buffers are decoupled from the respective signal lines when the respective signal line is not in use.

17. The memory apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plurality of signal lines in the first bus and the second bus are configurable as bi-directional, and each of the plurality of signal lines con be configured to be part of the first bus or part of the second bus.

18. The memory apparatus of claim 17, wherein some of the signal lines of the first bus are unidirectional and dedicated to the first bus.

19. The memory apparatus of claim 17, wherein some of the signal lines of the upstream bus are unidirectional and dedicated to the upstream bus.

20. The memory apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first bus is an upstream bus having a variable number of signal lines coupled to the respective buffers configured as an input buffer and the second bus is an downstream bus having a variable number of signal lines coupled to the respective buffers configured as an output buffer.

21. The memory apparatus of claim 20, wherein the width of the upstream bus is different than the width of the downstream bus.

22. The memory apparatus of claim 14, wherein the number of buffers configured as input buffers and the number of buffers configured as output buffers are determined based on a number of write requests issued to the memory compared to a number of read request issued to the memory.

23. The memory apparatus of claim 20, wherein the number of buffers configured as output buffers is greater than the number of buffers configured as input buffers when a greater number of read requests are issued to the memory.

24. The memory apparatus of claim 14, wherein the number of buffers configured as output buffers and the number of buffers configured as input buffers is determined based on an expected number of memory requests to be issued to the memory.